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The Psychology of how to Enjoy your Summer Holiday

Holidays are meant to be a time to relax and unwind, but for some they are extremely stressful – the rush to get everything prepared in time, a fear of flying and a lack of control can make even the best traveller extremely anxious.

Psychologist Judi James spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail recently to try and explain the psychology behind achieving the perfect summer holiday, and avoiding stress.
According to James, trying to tie up all loose ends at work or home before your trip is almost impossible, so by trying you are simply setting yourself up for a ‘failure’, causing more stress. Instead, do what you can and accept that everything else can wait until you get back. She also advises taking a day off before you actually depart for your holiday, to give you a chance to relax and get in the holiday mind set.
Checking emails whilst away is a hotly debated topic , with some saying they bring work/home stress into your holiday time, and others arguing that ‘fear of the unknown’ lurking in their inbox makes them more stressed. James takes a different approach, and instead poses the question – why do you want to check your emails?
James explains that many people check their emails when bored on holiday, or as a way to escape from family interactions. If you’re bored, go out and enjoy your holiday! If you’re genuinely worried about what is happening at work/home, then maybe next time you need to delegate more efficiently or get better cover, to give you the peace of mind you are lacking.
If your main holiday stress is the thought of boarding a plane, then James also has advice for anxious flyers. She explains that most fears are blown way out of proportion, as we negatively build ideas the more we avoid our fears. Instead, she advises to hop on a plane, and try using positive mantras to convince yourself that everything will be ok, for example “I love flying”.
To read the full article, click here.
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